Discussion

Inexpensive, casual prime rib on Oahu?

I saw that Kaka'ako Kitchen has a prime rib dinner on Tuesdays for about $12. Unfortunately, we have tickets to PCC that day. Are there any other prime rib dinners in that price range for a casual place to eat? We thought about changing our PCC tickets but not sure if Kaka'ako Kitchen is worth it.

Saw Ray's has a prime rib dinner & so does Good To Grill - are these better than Kaka'ako Kitchen? Any other suggestions?

Wow, prime rib is way, way done our list in Hawai`i. Now, we have done the VIP tours at PCC, and have loved them, BUT the food at the end of the day has always been a horrible disappointment to us. Maybe do the day at PCC, skip all food, and dine elsewhere.

PCC is an important cultural visit, especially if you are unfamiliar with polynesia and the mixture of peoples and customs spanning a vast area of the globe. the food there is unremarkable on a good day, usually plentiful, but nothing you are going to post to chowhound or even facebook.

Kaka'ako Kitchen is really good food, but prime rib would not be something I would go for. Good to Grill does a good job on meat, but you will probably get better in a good steakhouse. Ray's is, well... an experience. Cheap cuts of meat, well prepared. Not someplace I would take someone on vacation. And I would be surprised if you could get a baked potato (even mashed), it comes with Rice and Macaroni Salad (plate lunch style) served in a styrofoam clamshell. I like the food there, and the people are nice.. but Kalihi isn't a great neighborhood.

Along with Bill Hunt, prime rib is not something that would be a target food for me if I were visiting Hawaii, any decent restaurant on the Mainland will do as good or better than any of the places you mentioned. On the other hand, if prime rib is one of your favorites, then I am sure both Kaka'ako Kitchen and Good to Grill would be fine. Both are quite casual.

Finally I doubt if any of these places are serving Big Island Beef, very few places do.

Though only partially relevant to food, I strongly agree on PCC. We have done it several times, and the experience is great. Just arrive at the "villages" early, or linger late. While the shows are nice diversions, the kids in the various "villages" are the highlight of the tour.

The food - well, though we buy the VIP tickets, including their "lu`au," we dine elsewhere, and forget that we paid for the "full-monty." Were I the GM, the first thing that I would change is the food. While not dreadful, it pales to the other aspects of the experience, and is a tad of an insult. They could do so very much better in that regard, and I wish that they would. Too many other, great places to dine on O`ahu, that the attendees are being short-changed.

I have to say I can't think of "cheap" & "prime rib" in the same sentence. Rather I would think a great value in a great steak. Such would be the case of sitting at the bar in Vino or Hiroshi b/w5:30-6:30 and getting their $25.00 steak dinner for 1/2 price. The Haleiwa Joe's has a great prime rib of Flinstonian size with great mashed potatoes (but some rather non-descript mixed vegetables) for "market price." Last month it was $30.00 and just awesome.